I never realized the importance of rocks and crystals when I started on my path. Not really. I collected them for all sorts of reasons: they where pretty, or full of energy. Then as the years progressed, in my studies of the stones in the earth I realized each stone had everything from a number to energy to a point of view and sometimes even its own voice. Sounds crazy, the voice part, but when one studies the Druid arts one becomes passionate about listening.

My trial and error use of circle stones started many years ago. Call me an experimenter of sorts. I would simply place them on the altar, use the energy, and go about my business of casting the spell or ritual. Then I tried something within the past five years that got the stones to become part of the circle. I put one at each corner for each guardian, Like an offering, they were there for a specific energy. One night, I forgot my little rocks at their gates and I heard, yes I heard and felt, “you’re forgetting something; you’re forgetting us”. I didn't think, went about the ritual, and nothing happened. A few more times, same thing: the guardians didn't answer. Everything went wrong. So I put the stones back in the circle and instead started using colored ones for each gate. I didn't realize the guardians had blessed those stones for protection. In fact it wasn't until I got into a nasty bit with an old friend did I realize that my circle stones had hundreds of uses.

For example, in that nasty bit, a person one day psychically attacked me. I was in a whirlwind of mental pain and sick on my stomach. I grabbed up my stones and set them around my room and suddenly it was as though I had an energy circle about me. The guardians were right there to protect me, sending the energy back to where it came from. I have also learned carrying my smaller stones around in my pocket does the same thing. It's a protective device, a gift from the other realms. There is a sense of calm relief that the gods are right here with me. Whenever I pick up a stone or gem, I can sense the guardian of that gate and the energy flowing through me for a specific need in a ritual.

It's become a habit now. Whenever I do any ritual or spell work, I put up my circle stones. Although I did not ask for the blessing I realize it's one of the greater gifts the guardians have given me.

To each gate I put a colored stone first -- and glass works just as well sometimes better, because glass sometimes doesn't have an attitude. (Yes, I’ve had rocks with attitude and they are angry stones that don't want to be touched. They get hot in the hand, or I get a headache.) For East: citrine and amethyst work great (purple and yellow) . South: it's carnelian and hematite (reds, golds, fire colors) . West: sodalite, clear quartz, or blue lace agate (blues and aqua) . For North: moss agate, aventurine (earthy colored stones) . Or to make it easy, clear quartz works for every gate. Colors help me remember where to place the stones but simply being sincere goes a long way with the guardians.

In another one of my experiments, I tried putting clear glass stones at the gate and then mixing them up next time I had circle until each guardian had touched it. They thus become part of the circle and the ritual and they will have hundreds of uses. The energy needed will always be there. To clean them, take the stones into the sun. All negativity will wash out and the good energy will stay behind.

Picking a stone, this became my first lesson, and I learned to be very picky with the stones because of the energy fields around me. Taking the stone in the left hand (if your right handed) or right (if your left handed) , pull the stone close to the chest and ask it silently (or out loud) if it wants to go home with you. If your body leans forward, then it's a yes; if it leans backwards as though the body is pushed away, no. Stones are like fairies; they have simple answers for everything: yes and no. I have been in a stone shop and gone through them all wondering which stone is calling because they all seem to be saying no. It's simple and fun.

For ritual uses, I learned that sometimes even my favorite stones could say no. The guardians seem to have more than an idea at what's going on. Like I said, they are there, without my ever drawing down a circle or calling them. This works out great when going out into the wild or if a circle is being casted after dark and I can't remember which way is east. For this, I use my clear stones and go on about my ritual work.

It's taken me years to learn the right and wrong way of these small little stones. They want to be apart of the magic. They always have been there. I just didn't realize when I started my circle work that they could go in more than one place. It really is a gift.

Footnotes: Love is in the EarthThe big book of StonesTwenty one lessons of Merlin

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